Yankees 0, Twins 1: Whole lotta nothin’

The Yankees put forth a very minimal effort on Monday afternoon during a 1-0 loss to the Twins, garnering a measly three hits in the matinee. And despite actually scoring a run, the Twins put forth a very minimal effort on Monday as well, as there was no TV and a mere radio broadcast (and they had just one hit more than New York). Therefore, I am putting forth a very minimal effort in this recap. It’s what the situation demands, and there’s only so much that one can say about a boring, untelevised loss with a handful of regulars.

The main bright spot from the Yankees’ starting lineup came from the potential future on the infield, with Anthony Volpe at second, Oswald Peraza at shortstop, and Oswaldo Cabrera at third base. The average age of the trio is just shy of 23, and they’re all loaded with talent, so the possibility is cool to consider! As a testament to what they bring to the team, they were among the very few Yankees to get on base at all (though Cabrera did make a throwing error). Cabrera singled in the first, Volpe blooped a double in the third, and Peraza walked in the fifth.

Yes, the double was a boring as the game itself. Count it on the scoreboard* anyway!

*Count it only in the box score, actually, as Cabrera grounded out to strand Volpe. Oh well.

The funny thing about Cabrera’s two-out hit in the opening frame is that it was immediately followed by a smashed 108.7-mph single — the hardest contact of the day from either team — down the right-field line from fringe outfield candidate Willie Calhoun. The rally quickly ended on an Aaron Hicks popup. (Who is surprised?)

If you’re keeping track at home, you might notice that I have now mentioned all three New York hits. The .030-xBA Volpe double was the last one, and again, that came in the third. What a day for the offense against a whole bunch of mostly anonymous Twins pitchers! The only other bits worth noting are that Estevan Florial walked and stole second in the fifth, and non-roster invitee Jake Bauers struck out an automatic strike violation in the seventh, which is just kind of amusing.

As for the one run in the ballgame, it came off the bat of Twins outfielder Max Kepler, who homered off Deivi García in the bottom of the fourth. The once-exciting prospect allowed two hits, one run, and two walks in 3.1 innings of relief, fanning two. That’s not nightmarish or anything, but Kepler is a real MLB hitter, and if García wants one of the last bullpen spots, he has to, well, make a habit of getting real MLB hitters out. At least his stuff seemed better outside the dinger, and he got Kepler out with a second chance.

Here is the part of the recap that is almost solely for the families of Yankees pitchers Tanner Tully, James Norwood, and Matt Bowman. They look like nice fellas, and unlike García, they did not allow runs today, so good for them! Gold stars all around.

The Yankees will return home to Tampa tomorrow night to host the Blue Jays in another inexplicably untelevised game, this time with Gerrit Cole. Neat! Perhaps I should’ve been more grateful for today anyway, as there’s no indication yet that tomorrow will even be on the radio, either!* As a reminder, it is the year 2023. Whatever. We’ll provide coverage anyway with first pitch coming at 6:35 pm ET.

Box Score

*Update: It now seems as though if you have MLB.tv, you’ll be able to stream the game on the Blue Jays’ radio network. (Hooray!) But still no visuals. (Boo.)